


Cure for Pain

by aderyn



Series: Natural Facts [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 221B Ficlet, Dr. John, Gen, Post-Reichenbach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-20
Updated: 2012-03-20
Packaged: 2017-11-02 06:16:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/365859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aderyn/pseuds/aderyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When he fell, he didn’t expect to be reduced to the molecular level. That was what John was for."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cure for Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a longer post-Reichenbach Sherlock POV thing ["True Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria)"], but for now it's a 221B with another title shamelessly stolen from Morphine.

 

_“Neuropeptides and opioids play an important role in the pathogenesis of pain besides proinflammatory cytokines. Molecules like serotonin, histamin, bradykinin and prostaglandins and their receptors are of particular interest. “—Sprott, Shen ,Gay, Gay, Michel , & Aeschlimann, “Molecular Pain Signalling in Joints.”_ __

 

When he fell, he didn’t expect to be reduced to the molecular level. That was what John was for.

***

Whenever John wanted to do anything doctorly, he’d say, “Just let me...,” first ;(it meant, look here, I’m your doctor; it’s what I do.”) It also meant,“ I’m your friend, and immutable,“ and it was entirely unnecessary because Sherlock knew all of those things very early on, but John says it anyway even when all he wants is to have a look at an abrasion with purplish, bruised edges (“Surprisingly deep, that...did you enjoy getting it, at least ? “ _Yes, actually_.), or tear off an excessive nicotine patch (“Jesus, Sherlock, drive yourself into cardiac arrest, why don’t you?” _You know I have a high tolerance for cholinergics, John.)_ He said it once just before he put Sherlock’s humerus and scapula back together with a blinding flex-and-traction manoeuvre, and although Sherlock would allow afterwards that it hurt like a bloody bitch (and that he saw non-existent supernovae), that truncated sentence, the ellipsis, distracted him so that he hardly moved, and John held his wrist steady after and said, “OK? All right?”and he guessed that every atom was back in alignment.

What an alchemist, is John, with the words, and the hands, right down to the covalent bonds.  
  



End file.
